Page 3 of Crimson Mourning

I had no choice but to do as they said. It was two of them and only one of me. It would have been daunting if they were human, let alone vampires. I eased myself down and lowered my head as I listened to the sounds of them unbuckling.

The sound of their footsteps alerted me to their approach and I shut my eyes.

“The next time your masters are speaking,” I heard Dregan say. “You keep your mouth closed.”

“Or your pretty little lips shall open,” Eldon sang.

“My masters are in their chambers. They wouldn’t like it if I was turned before they willed it so.”

“Yourmasters,” Eldon said, “in this moment, stand before you. And who said anything about turning you?”

“I didn’t,” Dregan jeered.

“We’re not going to turn you, little one,” Eldon said with a chuckle. “But we are going to enjoy you.”

Vampires have every conceivable advantage over humans except one. Their strength is their weakness. They become far too arrogant. They sit at the top of the food chain, literally, and look down on those of us a few rungs below. And as Eldon gripped my chin with his hand and forced his member into my mouth, commanding me to suck, there was one thought which eased the taste of his flesh on my tongue.

Live in grace, but move in subtlety.

CHAPTER THREE

LAWRENCE

“You gotta,” I grunted as I dodged the incoming fist and countered with an uppercut designed to sting. “Learn to move with more subtlety, man.”

Damon leaned back and dropped to the floor, eluding my attack and throwing me off my balance. He used his hands to balance himself and whipped his foot around in an arc, slamming his foot into my ankle. I crashed to the floor in a loud bang which hurt even worse than it sounded.

“Subtle enough for you,” he said as he wore the biggest grin I’d seen that day and extended his hand.

All I could do was roll my eyes and rub my ass with one hand, as I grabbed his hand with the other and let him help me to my feet.

“Damon needs someone to watch his back,” our father once told me. “A true equal to push him.”

“Seems as if you’re always getting the better of me,” I said.

“Don’t be like that, Lawrence,” Damon answered as he turned his back to me and moved to the edge of the mat. “It’s not about who wins in practice. It’s about sharpening your skills.”

“To what end?” I asked as I moved towards the other end. "You are the eldest brother to our clan, and I am second. None could withstand our combined might, and no one would dare challenge you with me around. So, I ask again. To what end do I need to sharpen my skills further than they already are?"

When Damon didn’t answer immediately, I rotated my head around my left shoulder to see him out the corner of my eye. “Damon? Sharp enough for what, brother?”

I raised an eyebrow. Damon stared right at me, but his demeanor had darkened.

“I went to see the council today,” he said.

“Get out,” I commanded.

All my familiars and attendees scrambled for the nearest exits as I crossed the mat. When I’d reached the end where my brother was, I narrowed my eyes and leaned my head forward.

“Why would you mention the council in open company like that? You know better.”

“Damn your familiars,” he scoffed. “Bunch of wannabes. Why do you even keep them around when you’re so much better?”

“What ails you, brother?”

I ignored his statement about familiars. Everyone in the family knew his feelings towards them, but as he was entitled to his opinions, I was entitled to mine. He was the eldest, and so, the strongest, but I was free to pursue my own desires as he was his.

“How long must we bow to the whims of those less than ourselves? How long are we going to subject ourselves to bending our knees to weaker beings?”

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